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Week 4 Conference USA power rankings: Everyone is chasing North Texas

Nick Suss, Hattiesburg American
Published 4:45 p.m. CT Sept. 19, 2018

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Southern Miss football coach Jay Hopson spoke to the media on Wednesday night about the cancellation of his team's game against Appalachian State.
Nick Suss, Hattiesburg American

North Texas quarterback Mason Fine (6) looks for an open receiver to pass to against Southern Mississippi first the half of their NCAA college football game in Hattiesburg, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)(Photo: Rogelio V. Solis, AP)

HATTIESBURG — Three weeks into the 2018 college football season and one team has made it clear that the road to the Conference USA championship game runs through Denton, Texas.

Behind the stellar play of quarterback Mason Fine and an offense averaging nearly 50 points per game, North Texas is 3-0 and coming off Conference USA's biggest win of the season, knocking off Arkansas on the road. The Mean Green have the best scoring offense and the second-best scoring defense in the C-USA, and Fine is staking his claim to a dark-horse Heisman Trophy candidacy.

Behind North Texas? Things get a little murky in Conference USA. There are three obvious tiers of teams in the league, ranging from teams expected to cruise into bowl season to squads with something to prove back down to teams that look utterly loss.

Here are the Hattiesburg American's Conference USA power rankings heading into Week 4:

1. North Texas (3-0, 0-0 C-USA)

Fine ranks third in the country in passing yards per game. The only two players ahead of him? Yeah, they play for Mike Leach and Kliff Kingsbury. Behind the junior quarterback's breakout start to the season, North Texas has had the most electric offense in the league, averaging 49.3 points per game with wins over schools like SMU and Arkansas.

The only Group of 5 team averaging more points per game than North Texas is Utah State. But the Mean Green aren't exactly winning shootouts. They held an SMU offense that averaged 37.8 points per game in 2017 to 23 points and limited Arkansas, coincidentally coached by former SMU coach Chad Morris, to 17.

And they just pulled off the coolest special teams trick play of 2018. Of course North Texas leads the way.

2. Louisiana Tech (2-0, 0-0 C-USA)

One of three remaining unbeaten C-USA squads, Louisiana Tech has been pretty consistent through its first two games. The Bulldogs went on the road to beat South Alabama 30-26 in Week 1 and crushed its FCS foe 54-17 in Week 2.

A looming test against No. 6 LSU at Death Valley is likely to knock Tech down a few spots next week, but the Bulldogs' 42 points per game average could present a challenge for the Tigers, especially if LSU is looking ahead to Ole Miss.

3. FAU (2-1, 0-0 C-USA)

Sure, Lane Kiffin's FAU squad wasn't able to pull off the Week 1 upset against Oklahoma. But the Owls have rebounded pretty well, stringing together back-to-back wins over Air Force and Bethune-Cookman.

Friday will mark the battle for Floridian Group of 5 supremacy, as FAU travels to Orlando to face No. 16 UCF. The Knights sit as two-touchdown favorites heading into the game, but FAU running back Devin Singletary and his FBS-leading seven rushing touchdowns have a chance to keep things close.

4. Marshall (2-0, 0-0 C-USA)

Marshall impressed Week 1, taking down University of Miami on the road in a C-USA vs. MAC showdown and continued that success Week 2 with a victory over Eastern Kentucky. Hurricane Florence took away the Thundering Herd's chance to upset South Carolina last weekend, but Marshall has another Power 5 test looming, with a matchup against NC State on Saturday.

5. FIU (2-1, 1-0 C-USA)

Like so many other C-USA teams, FIU has a big test this weekend against No. 21 Miami in Coral Gables. The Panthers held their own in their first Power 5 test of the year, only losing to Indiana by 10 points. Coming off a decisive 63-24 win over UMass, FIU looks pretty good. But the Hurricanes are a different monster.

6. Southern Miss (1-1, 0-0 C-USA)

The first of C-USA's many enigmatic teams on this list, Southern Miss has a chance to stabilize itself on Saturday against Rice. The Golden Eagles looked great in a gimme game against Jackson State then couldn't find a rhythm in a loss to UL-Monroe. Which team is the real Southern Miss? If it's the team with the best scoring defense and the most efficient passing attack in Conference USA, this team is going to vault up the standings.

7. Middle Tennessee State (1-2, 0-0 C-USA)

Middle Tennessee State has cashed out its all-important money games to start the season, earning losses against Vanderbilt and Georgia in the early going. The Blue Raiders have the week off before entering a grueling stretch of games against FAU, Marshall and FIU. If Middle Tennessee State has any chance of making it through its C-USA slate, October is going to be crucial. For now, the Blue Raiders earned some rest.

8. UAB (2-1, 0-0 C-USA)

UAB might be the hardest team in Conference USA to get a read on right now. The Blazers looked great in a 31-24 win over Tulane last week, rushing for 269 yards and two touchdowns. But UAB's vaunted rushing attack was even better the week before against Coastal Carolina, averaging 6.98 yards per carry on 41 attempts, but the Blazers lost that game 47-24.

Like MTSU, UAB is on bye this week before opening up C-USA play next weekend. If the Blazers squad that beat Tulane shows up on Sept. 29, it'll have a pretty good chance to beat our No. 9 team on the countdown.

9. Charlotte (2-1, 1-0 C-USA)

Charlotte sneaked past Old Dominion 28-25 on Thursday, earning its first C-USA win and rebounding from a 45-9 thrashing at the hands of Appalachian State. The 49ers face their first road test on Saturday against UMass, looking to pile up wins in search of the first bowl appearance in Charlotte football history.

10. Western Kentucky (0-3, 0-0 C-USA)

At least Western Kentucky is playing teams close. The Hilltoppers nearly pulled off the upset against Louisville on Saturday, losing to the Cardinals 20-17. But WKU also has a loss to Maine on its resume, the same Maine team that went 4-6 in FCS play last season but is ranked No. 13 this season.

The Hilltoppers travel to Ball State on Saturday in search of their first win since Nov. 17 of last season.

11. Rice (1-2, 0-0 C-USA)

Two FBS games, two FBS losses. Rice wasn't supposed to beat Houston or Hawaii, but giving up a combined 88 points in two games wasn't a part of the plan either. The Owls are one of nine FBS programs allowing more than six yards per carry this season and aren't doing enough to offset that offensively.

The Owls open up C-USA play on Saturday against Southern Miss in Hattiesburg.

12. Old Dominion (0-3, 0-2 C-USA)

Poor Old Dominion. After losing 52-10 to Liberty to start the season, the Monarchs have dropped back-to-back one-score games against conference opponents, losing to FIU and Charlotte by a combined 13 points. And the reprieve isn't coming. Old Dominion hosts No. 13 Virginia Tech on Saturday.

13. UTSA (0-3, 0-0 C-USA)

You have to give UTSA credit for the schedule it's played. The Roadrunners are 0-3, but those three losses have come against Arizona State, Baylor and Kansas State. Of course, giving up 42.3 points per game to those teams still isn't good. Nor is owning the sixth-worst rushing attack in the country.

UTSA needs a win against Texas State on Saturday, and it needs it bad.

14. UTEP (0-3, 0-0 C-USA)

UTEP might not just be the worst team in Conference USA. The Miners could be the worst team in the country. UTEP ranks 129th out of 130 teams in both scoring offense and total offense by yardage and ranks 127th nationally in rushing defense too. Not only can the Miners not score, but they also can't stop the run well enough to get the ball back when they're losing.

UTEP hosts New Mexico State on Saturday. The Miners are not favored to win.